


you don’t give up (not on someone you love)

by aidensgyver



Category: MacGyver (TV 2016)
Genre: Anger, Angst, Arguing, Endgame, Fluff, Other, PACKAGE DEAL, macriley
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-12-11
Updated: 2020-12-11
Packaged: 2021-03-10 19:48:38
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 4,750
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28012704
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/aidensgyver/pseuds/aidensgyver
Summary: He pulled out his phone and shot a quick text to Matty: WAR ROOM IN 15 MINUTES. NEED TO TALK. Reading the text over once, then twice, he hit the SEND button and stuffed the device in his pocket. Riley was by his truck, leaning against the door, arms folded, “Where we headed?” She asked.“The Phoenix”.
Relationships: Angus MacGyver & Matilda "Matty" Webber (MacGyver TV 2016), Riley Davis & Angus MacGyver (MacGyver TV 2016), Riley Davis & Matilda "Matty" Webber, Riley Davis/Angus MacGyver (MacGyver TV 2016), Wilt Bozer & Angus MacGyver (MacGyver TV 2016)
Comments: 15
Kudos: 97





	1. Confrontation

**Author's Note:**

> how the trust issues should have been dealt with after 4x12. and how mac and riley did the right thing when going rogue. myself (@ruzeksgyver on twitter) and a mutual (@artemls37) did a little collab and came up with this fic

Gwen’s funeral was held one week after Mac’s first hearing in the Senate. It was a small and quiet one, attended only by the team, a few law officials, and a few less-renowned scientists. The procession was quick and brisk, Mac gave a speech, or more like “ said a few words''. This was his last known blood-relative, the closest thing to him that brought back memories mom, and it had been snatched away in the cruellest fashion possible. As the procession neared an end, Mac had felt the few cold tears trickle down his face before he wiped them away with his sleeve. Gwen may have been with Codex for most of the time Mac knew her, but she had turned sides at the last minute. She had done it for Mac, and the thousands of people whose lives were at stake. As her last words telling him to leave rung in his head, he felt a soft warm hand wrap around his, interlacing its fingers between his.

Riley. The young hacker had been there with Mac, around his aunt. If anyone knew the pain he was going through right now, it was her. Unlike a lot of other people, Riley knew Mac inside out, every bone of his body. And he couldn’t be more grateful for that. After the last rites had been carrying out, the small audience dispersed, and Mac headed for his car. He pulled out his phone and shot a quick text to Matty:  **WAR ROOM IN 15 MINUTES. NEED TO TALK.** Reading the text over once, then twice, he hit the  **SEND** button and stuffed the device in his pocket. Riley was by his truck, leaning against the door, arms folded, “Where we headed?” She asked.

“The Phoenix”.

Nodding silently, Riley climbed into the driver’s seat, and Mac went around to the passenger side. Once they pulled into the Phoenix parking lot, Mac turned to Riley, “I need to sort this out, as soon as possible” He mumbled quietly. Riley bit her lip, choosing her next words carefully, “You sure you wanna do this?”. Mac looked at her, his eyes softening, “What Jack used to say, in this job, trust is everything”. As he turned to open the door, Riley grabbed his hand, turning his attention back to her, “Whatever you do, I’m with you, alright?”. Mac gave her a weak smile, “Thanks, Riles” He replied giving her hand a little squeeze in return before climbing out.

The atmosphere in the war room was as tense as ever. Matty and Bozer stood on one end, both expecting what was about to happen. Desi sat on the sofa, leaning forward, fumbling nervously with her hands. Russ, still with a cast on his leg, seemed preoccupied with his thoughts. As soon as Mac and Riley entered, Desi stood up, and Russ snapped back into reality, nodding at the two agents as they entered. Matty, acknowledging someone had to break the ice, spoke up first, “Mac, you asked us to come?”.

Mac placed his hands in his pocket and slowly paced into the middle of the room, “Thanks, Matty for getting everyone here”. Matty nodded in reply, urging Mac to get to the point. And he did.

Turning to Russ and Desi, he stood up straight, clearing the air in his lungs before speaking, “In this job…..trust is everything”.

Before he could continue, Desi spoke up, “We trusted you, Mac”.

Mac bit his lip, then spoke again, “I was trying to find a way inside Codex, I said so, I explained myself and I trusted you with that. But you told me I was compromised” As he spoke, the blonde continued to take small strides across the room, “You told me that they had gotten into my head, that I was drunk up on some cocktail about my mom, my aunt and Codex. I was trying to save innocent lives caught up in this mess”.

Russ opened his mouth to reply, but Mac continued to speak, “You guys were ready to drop a missile, a freaking hellfire missile, not on me, but on a whole lot of innocent people, children” As he spoke he turned to Riley, “And Riley”.

Russ took a step forward, “You choked us out, drained the oxygen from the room to escape with some criminal…”.

“I tried to tell you” Said Mac in return, voice rising slightly, “I needed your support to help me take down Codex’s plan, I TRUSTED you, and you kicked me out. Chances are, had I not gone out there a whole lot of people would have lost their lives because of a bomb you would have dropped”.

Desi spoke up in defense, “You didn’t leave us a choice”.

Mac turned to her, “Didn’t leave a choice, Desi? And what choice did you leave me? I needed you” Mac turned to Russ again, “All of you, to help me save lives, not only the ones threatened by Codex, but those innocent ones caught up for no good reason, and how did you help? By being ready to sacrifice innocent people for the greater good?”.

Desi looked at Bozer, who raised his hands in defense, “You said that Des, and I told him the facts. The truth is the truth.”

“Mac, you don’t understand”-

Before Russ could go further, Mac raised his voice, “I don’t get it? There is no “greater” good if you’re killing innocent people. If you had trusted me, instead of shoving me away, chances are I would still have my aunt today!”.

Russ bit his lip and looked down. Desi looked at Mac and shook her head. “And what am I supposed to do now? Imagine that the next time I’m gonna need your backing that you’re gonna be there?” Continued Mac, then he turned to Matty, “Matty, you know I can’t work with the people I can’t trust, and they can’t trust me. ”.

Mac turned to Riley and exchanged a quick glance before opening the door and storming out, leaving the others in a state of shock. He couldn’t have just quit like that. Riley turned to look at them for a second, taking in the disbelief on Russ and Desi’s faces before leaving the room, following Mac out. 

Mac, hand in his pockets strode briskly down the Phoenix hallway, his head down. Riley rushed after him. He was hurt, really hurt, and Riley knew if she didn’t hold him together sooner than later, he wouldn’t be able to handle it. “Mac!” She called out his name softly as she approached. 

He stopped almost immediately and turned around. His eyes were watery, his brow furrowed, and his cheeks were hollow. Running his hands through his hair, he stopped and faced Riley. The way the others had seen it was that Mac had given up on them, dumped them or straight out hated them. Not Riley though. 

She saw more than the others. Riley saw someone who was wounded. Someone who had gone through the trauma of losing his mom, his dad, his aunt, not being trusted by the people he regarded as “family”. She saw a friend, someone she loved, in distress. 

And it hurt her just as much. 

Mac dropped his hands to hips and looked at Riley, his eyes red and watery with tears, his bottom lip just about trembling. He just looked so down; Riley felt tears well up in her own eyes. Shaking his head, Mac looked at her, “Thanks for trusting me” He choked out, then added more softly, “Riles”. 

Emotions overtaking her, Riley walked up to him and placed her hands on his face, caressing his cheeks with her hands, gently rubbing each thumb over the cold skin. “Hey Mac, anything you need, okay? If you need time off, take time off. If you need to talk, I’m here for you” She said, holding back her own tears. Mac nodded again, blinking back the water in his eyes. 

“Let’s just go home” He whispered. 

Riley nodded, “Let’s just think this through, and figure everything out”. Mac had left the Phoenix for months after he felt he couldn’t trust his dad. And Riley knew that he would do that again. Just that this time, he couldn’t. Codex was still out there, he had to carry out his mother’s research. And he was hurting, and in need of people. 

Mac held Riley’s hand as they walked over to the car. As the hacker reached for the driver’s side door, Mac stopped her. 

Surprised, Riley turned around and looked at him. “I’ll drive” He said before quietly adding, “you need a break”. Riley slowly moved back, thinking it over before giving Mac a small smile of appreciation and made her way around to the passenger side.

Both Mac and Riley enjoyed “joy riding”, taking the winding uphill roads to Mac’s house, foot on the floor the entire time. However, this time, Mac took his time, moving the vehicle around gently, even stopping for an orange light at one intersection. Riley remained quiet the entire time, if Mac wanted to talk, he would talk, she didn’t have to push. 

After arriving home, they both went to their rooms, Mac giving Riley a pat on the shoulder, indicating he would talk whenever ready. After a (long) shower, Riley went back to her room. She smiled at the extra towel laying folded on her bed, Mac knew she’d use one for her hair and he always left one there after she showered. It was little things like that that made being roommates all the more comfortable.

They had takeout that night, both avoiding any talk of the Phoenix while eating, instead Mac gave Riley a little lecture on the ethics of planetary motion. Riley listened attentively, even adding in points of her own here and there. Mac retired to bed soon after, his eyes half open as he mumbled a quiet goodnight. Riley remained on the sofa in the living room for a few minutes, digesting the events of the day. Deciding she didn’t want to lay in bed and think about it, she grabbed a couple of video games and the controller and settled down. She’d figure out things tomorrow, she thought. 


	2. I'll be here

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Mac shook his head again, turning to face the city line again, “Its just….complicated”. Riley moved closer to him, touching her shoulder to his, “Is it about Aunt Gwen?”.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> how everything should have gone down after 4x12. and how mac and riley did the right thing when going rogue. myself (@ruzeksgyver on twitter) and a mutual (@artemls37) did a little collab and came up with this fic. CHAPTER 2.

It was a long night. And when Riley woke up in the morning, it was still dark. The dim lighting of the clock read 7:45 AM. As Riley turned onto her back, adjusting the pillow, which Mac had probably placed under her during the night, beneath her head. The stiff cushion she had fallen asleep on placed on the second sofa and a fluffy blanket was thrown over her.

Tugging the blanket up to her chin, she closed her eyes and took a deep breath. There was no loud echo of a drill or a tool banging coming from the deck, nor was there the sound of Mac’s favorite playlist coming from the kitchen. There wasn’t any smoke or smell of him cooking either. It all felt empty. And poignant.

This was the first night they were home after the entire CODEX saga, and her body was aching. A dull ache plagued her shoulders, and a burning sensation rushed through the muscles in her legs. After a painfully long staring match with the clock, Riley finally kicked off the blanket and slipped into her slippers. After folding the blanket and packing away the gaming console, she stood for a second, considering her next move.

Cold. She felt cold. Rubbing her frigid palms on her arms, trying to find some warmth, she spotted Mac’s Sherpa hoody sitting on the coat hanger. Deciding it looked too cozy to resist, she found herself slipping her arms into the oversized sleeves and pulling the hoodie over her head.

The door leading to the deck was ajar, and she knew Mac was there. He’s running shoes were by the door, so either he’d been crazy enough to go running before sunrise or he wasn’t in the mood. Anyhow, there he was, leaning on the railing, overlooking the LA city line, which at this point was barely visible under a thick layer of fog.

Mac’s hair was particularly messy, not that it mattered, Riley thought it made him look cute. A thick white and blue checkered shirt hung loosely around his shoulders; head drooped low. Slowly approaching, Riley placed a hand on his shoulder and whispered softly, “Mac”.

The blonde lifted his head up a bit and turned his head to look at her. Straightening up a bit and giving what wasn’t even remotely close to a grin, he replied the greeting, “Riles”. Reaching up to run her hand through his messy hair, Riley flashed him a bright smile, “Slept well?”.

Mac took a deep breath, then shook his head, “No…not at all”.

“You wanna talk about it?”.

Mac shook his head again, turning to face the city line again, “Its just….complicated”. Riley moved closer to him, touching her shoulder to his, “Is it about Aunt Gwen?”.

Staying silent for a second, Mac bit his lip, shaking his head quietly, “Did I really do the wrong thing…going rogue? Running off and pretending like I’m joining CODEX?”.

Brushing a strand of hair out of his eyes, he turned to look at Riley, “Did I betray them running off without saying anything? Or did they betray me not trusting me?”.

“Mac”, Riley took a step forward, so that she was standing toe to toe with Mac, his chest almost touching hers, “If we didn’t go to CODEX, with Shiva, wouldn’t the both the hellfire missiles hit the base? Wouldn’t all the children, and innocent people caught up in the mess have been…killed off, just like that?”.

Mac looked at her softly, she was right.

He turned away after a second but stopped when she grabbed his arm. “Mac, you did the right thing. _We_ did the right thing”.

Riley slowly ran her fingers down his arm to his wrist, before gripping it tightly. “Thanks, Riles, I really don’t know what I would have done if you-“ His voice was shaky, and Riley could have sworn his eyes were glimmering with tears again.

She grabbed his other wrist and pulled him closer, “It alright, you’re never alone, remember?”.

Mac smiled, a bit, recalling the solemn promise they made to each other back in Germany, covered in soot and sweaty. He looked down at Riley’s hands, which were gripping his wrists tightly.

-

_The missile bared down on them. It was over. Within moments the heavy metal would be crashing down, shrapnel would be flying, a burning flame would engulf them, reducing them all to ashes. Mac would never get to ask Gwen about his mom. He’d never see Bozer or Matty again._

_As his muscles stiffened, he glanced at Riley, standing next to him. The fright and horror in the girl’s eyes were all too clear, her teeth were gritted, and she had frozen still. Mac thought of grabbing her, covering her with his body, maybe she’d survive, maybe she’d get to see Jack again._

_Without thinking he reached out and grabbed her hand tightly and turned back to the missile floating towards them. And then the nose tilted, and it flew straight over them, only to crash and detonate in a field further down. Mac looked and Riley, and both let out a gasp of relief._

_-_

“Riley” Began Mac, then lowering his voice, “When the missile was about to strike us, I was…scared, alone…your hand…I just didn’t want you to be alone…”.

-

_As the eerie whirring of the missile’s engine came closer, the cold wind grew stronger. Riley froze, this was the end of the road. In a few seconds, the heavy metal body would come down upon them, submerging them in a cloud of fire and torn shrapnel._

_She would never see her mom again. Her dad. Jack. Bozer. Matty. She’d die here all alone, on an enemy base. As an enemy of the state. As she closed her eyes, waiting for the impact, she remembered. Mac was right there, standing next to her._

_She would never get to tell him how much he meant to her. How much she loved him and wanted him to be happy. As thoughts raced through her mind in those final seconds, she felt a warm hand wrap around hers._

_The little squeeze, even in that dark and wild moment, was so reassuring and peaceful she felt…safe. And then the missile slowed, tilted, and flew right over their heads. And the rest was history._

_-_

Riley’s eyes widened. She curled her fingers tighter around Mac’s wrists, “Its okay, I was….alone too. If anything, I would have taken your hand as well”.

Mac bit his lip and nodded slowly. “Come here” He whispered, so low; she could barely hear him. Not hesitating, Riley fell into his embrace. She wrapped her arms around his waist and held on tightly. He placed his one arm around her shoulders and his other hand on the back of her neck, lowering his face into the soft curls on her head.

Neither of them knew how long they stayed like that for, a few minutes, maybe half an hour. Riley closed her eyes and pushed herself as deep into Mac’s shirt as she could, taking in all the warmth and comfort.

The soft ringing of Riley’s phone from the living room broke the silence, and Mac slowly let go, missing the warmth of the hug immediately. Matty had left a missed call and a text: NEED YOU IN TODAY.

It was a blatant message, sending the harsh reminder that there was still work, the Phoenix and Russ and Desi. Mac, reading the message, walked over sunk into the sofa, his hands running through his hair, “I can’t” He said quietly, voice still shaky, “I can’t”.

Riley went over quietly and sat down next to him, not saying a word in return.

Mac continued, “I couldn’t trust my own dad, because they kept the truth away from me”. Riley nodded, she remembered that day. Watching Mac say those words cold dead in James MacGyver’s face, “If I can’t trust you, I can’t work for you”. Then turning his back and marching out of the Phoenix.

“I didn’t even make a decision to trust Desi, I was too focused on Russ.. and CODEX. And she proved me wrong for doing that”.

“Mac” Riley spoke up, “It’s not your fault, you made your choice, you couldn’t control the outcome”.

“There’s people out there that need my- our- help, CODEX is still out there, how am I supposed to work when I don’t even know if they’ll be there, have my back when I need it?”, Mac felt broken, destroyed. Like someone who had been torn up on the inside, pieces scattered by the wind. He felt hollow. He’d trusted them without thinking, and they’d broken him down, thrown him out and left him to waste.

Riley moved closer, “You don’t need to trust anyone, I’m here. If you need I’ll be here for you, and if you don’t…” Mac turned and looked at Riley, brimming blue eyes pleading, “I’ll still be here”.

The young hacker herself had no idea where these words were coming from, the bottom of her heart or the top of her head, “It’s not the team that needs you, its those innocent people out there, fearing for their lives, who need you”, Riley put out her hand, open palmed, “I know its not easy, Mac, but I do know it’s gonna be worth it”.

Mac smiled, just a little, and placed his hand in hers, interlacing their fingers, “Just stay with me, ok?”.

Riley nodded, beaming back at him, “Always”. Then she leaned in, and slowly, but gently pressed her lips onto Mac’s cheek.

Taken aback by the sudden gesture from Riley, Mac stopped himself from flinching. Instead, he closed his eyes and took it in. As unexpected as it was, that was the most peaceful moment he felt in a long time. For that tiny second, the world could just stand still, all his problems could wait, everything could just stop. Just for that second.

Riley pulled back slowly, her fingers sweeping across his cheek, “Let’s go to work” She whispered softly, squeezing his shoulder. Mac nodded, now feeling more relaxed, he got up and made his way to his bedroom. It was gonna be a long day.

-

-

-

By the time Mac had showered and gotten dressed, Riley was already by the door, her backpack over one shoulder, two steaming cups of coffee in her hands. Mac chose to drive again, the pang of guilt that Riley was doing so much for him made him do so.

As they arrived at the Phoenix, and walked through the hallways, everything seemed cold. They’d walked these walls almost everyday for the past 6 years, but today it looked estranged and lonely. Everyone they passed wore the same blank expression, barely exchanging an eyes glance or a casual “good morning”.

On arrival at the war room, the tension was still as fierce as it was a day ago. Russ and Desi stood to one side, eyeing Riley, and Mac as they walked in. Bozer and Matty were at the front of the room as usual, the boss lady letting out a small sigh of relief. Mac and Riley were the backbone of the Phoenix, and without them it was nowhere near capable of accomplishing what it did.

Not wasting anytime, Matty got to the point. Two bomb threats in Ohio, an escaped convict, and possible foreign interference in the investigations were enough to have the Phoenix called in.

“Mac, you are the key here” Said Matty as she swiped through several shots of the explosive devices found, “If you can decipher the pattern the bomb maker is using in these devices, we could not only ID the escaped convict’s accomplices, but we could also connect the dots and find exactly which country they’re operating from”.

Mac nodded. The risks at stake here were too large to turn anything down, “Great, Riley and I can handle it, just let me know the take off time”.

Matty took a deep breath, exchanged a glance with Russ, before turning to Mac, “Mac, we need Riley here with our local equipment, chances are we’re going to have to work against the clock for this one, and we need her here for that”.

Mac opened his mouth to speak but chose not to as Matty continued, “Russ has a contact with the FBI, for which reason I will be sending you two, to handle this op”. Russ turned and looked at Mac, trying to hint at a smile. Mac did not reciprocate.

As Mac and Russ collected intelligence needed for the operation, Desi stepped forward, “What’s my role in this whole…thing?”.

“You’ll be on standby for this one Desi, we’ve only been given permit for two field agents” Replied Matty coldly. Almost instinctively, Desi turned to look at Mac, who promptly did not return the glance. For him, it was a relief, for her? Not so much.

Mac and Russ finished their briefing, and soon got confirmation to head to the Phoenix jet. Desi, giving one last attempt, took a step forward towards Mac, who was heading down the hall leading towards her, only to freeze in her tracks.

“Mac! Your phone” Shouted Riley as she strode quickly down the hall. Mac, a surprised look on his face, turned around. Riley smiled and handed over the phone, “Rough day” Huffed Mac as he slid the device into his pocket.

Desi looked on, surprised at how all the tension and anger just vanished from Mac the moment Riley walked up to him. The smile on his face just seeing her was gentle and _loving_ , and there was something about the way neither cared about the lack of personal space between them.

After exchanging a few words, Mac turned to leave. Riley walked up, and gently pulled him into a hug. He, very quickly, reciprocated the gesture, wrapping her tightly in her arms. “Get back safe, okay?” She whispered in his ear as he slowly let her go.

Mac flashed her a bright smile, his hands lingering on her forearms, “I always do”. Riley playfully swatted him on the shoulder, and he quickly turned around to catch up to his flight.

There was something overly intimate about that interaction, Desi thought as she watched it play out. She couldn’t get it out of her mind how calm Mac was around Riley, and just how _soft_ every touch between them was. And the way Riley just closed her eyes as she hugged Mac, Desi knew they were more than two caring friends, way more than that. Even more than whatever mess Mac and Desi had between themselves.

-

-

-

The day went by quickly, Mac handling the mission like a breeze. Both bomb threats were neutralized, the escaped convict captured, and the foreign interference nothing more than a few phone calls considering a possible conspiracy, which would promptly be handled by the FBI. Russ did not attempt to converse with Mac, the latter ignoring any comment passed by the older man.

Things at the Phoenix was also tense, Bozer and Desi spending the mission in the lab, away from Riley in the war room. No one attempted to strike a chat with Riley either, not even Matty.

After Mac and Russ’s flight landed in the Phoenix runway, Matty dismissed the team for the night. Bozer was out first, mumbling something about a booze and lack of sleep, followed closely by Desi. As Riley packed her bag and got ready to head out, Matty turned to her, “You and Mac take the time you need, but you’re going to have to mend things with the others as time goes on, it’s vital to the team’s performance”.

Riley nodded silently, choosing not to reply, before slowly exiting the room. Mac was coming down the hall at the same time, his face lighting up as he saw Riley, “Riles”.

“Ready to head out” She asked as he reached in for a small hug.

“More than ready” .

-

-

-

Desi sat in her car in the underground parking lot, trying to get the map app on her phone to work. The bar Bozer told her about didn’t seem to exist according to the application, and she had been struggling for the past five minutes. Frustrated, she dialed in Bozer’s number. Before she could hit the **CALL** button, she glanced out her window.

Mac and Riley exited from the building, headed towards Mac’s truck. Desi looked away, but immediately glanced back when she noticed _how_ they were walking. Mac had his arm around Riley’s shoulder, almost as if he had tucked her in under. Riley’s arm was around his waist and she leaned slightly against him, both were laughing as Mac spoke. The tension Desi had seen in them earlier was non-existent, their faces relaxed and seemingly- dare she say- happy.

Tearing her eyes off of them, she hit the **CALL** button and put the phone to her ear. Bozer better answer.

-

-

-

After showering washing up, Mac and Riley decided on a movie, something to get their minds off the day’s events, a power down switch. Riley brought over two plates of lasagna, handing one to Mac before sitting down next to him.

Usually, they’d sit on opposite ends of the couch, but after that morning, both felt strangely comfortable being in each other’s space. As the _Star Wars_ intro played on the screen, Riley leaned to her side, resting her head on Mac’s shoulder.

“How was the mission?” She asked quietly. Mac, in between bites of pasta, took his time to reply, “Uneventful”. Riley smiled, not pushing for answers. If Mac wanted to talk about it, he wouldn’t hesitate. Right now, all he needed was space, and she was more than happy to give him that.

He shifted slightly, making it easier for Riley to lean her head on his shoulder, smiling as she silently appreciated the gesture. “You know, I always found it weird that Luke always had to go and pick up a power converter, he could have easily made on himself...I mean all he needed was a semiconductor and a switch”.

Riley laughed softly, adoring the innocence of Mac’s genius, “Yeah…very weird”.

**Author's Note:**

> thanks for reading!
> 
> feedback and comments appreciated!


End file.
